40 Enemalta engineers and technicians together with contracted workers, were dispatched during the night to carry out emergency works on faults that developed in scattered parts of the electricity distribution system, causing power cuts in different zones.

Enemalta experienced its third consecutive busy night and mobilised its technical resources to reduce the duration of the supply interruptions as much as was possible. In several cases, the supply was returned in a short time through the use of alternative cables.

Seven faults were recorded during the night in different zones. Most of the faults developed in underground cables.

Repair works include fault location and trench digging before workers can actually start working on the damaged cable.

Enemalta CEO Jonathan Cardona has explained that, the extreme weather has not only increased the electricity demand, but also caused physical pressure on the cable network due to the high temperatures on the road surface and underground, where most of our high-voltage cables lie.

Yesterday, Enemalta registered record demand of 600MW. Enemalta’s capacity is of more than 800MW.

As also explained during the technical briefing, the power cuts are not caused by lack of supply, but by other factors in the distribution system that cannot be anticipated. These include extreme weather such as heat waves lasting several days.

Enemalta reiterates its commitment to continue working on its action plan to strengthen the island’s complex distribution system, reduce faults in the network and minimise the inconvenience this causes to its customers.

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